A Research on the Application of CALL in English langage teaching

內容摘要

中文摘要

計算機輔助語言教學（ComputerAssisted Language Learning）是指利用計算機為主要媒體來幫助外語教師進行外語教學的活動，也就是說外語教師利用計算機所具有的屏幕顯示文字和圖象、聲音、計算、控制、存儲等功能，來幫助教學，輔導學生學習，優化教學過程，提高教學質量。然而，對於它的定義，在學術界並沒有統一。MichaelLevy（1997）將其定義為 「the search for and study of applications of the computer in languageteaching and learning.」 （計算機在語言教與學應用方面的研究和探討）.多媒體技術具有集圖形、圖像、聲音、動畫、文字等多種信息功能，而電腦入網後的信息量大、信息變更速度之快、信息資源共享性之高，都是過去任何一種傳媒所無法比擬的。外語教學需要大量的語言環境，信息處理的最佳主角自然是非多媒體莫屬。

本文闡述了多媒體輔助英語教學的優勢，本文通過利用多媒體技術輔助中學英語教學的探索性試驗，運用建構主義學習.理論提出了多媒體環境下的英語課堂教學模式。結果表明，與傳統課堂教學班相比，多媒體實驗班的學業成績具有持續而顯著的整體優勢。

英文摘要

Computer Assisted Language Learning(CALL）means using computers as a tool to assist the teachers in language teaching. Michael Levy (1997) gave it a definition: 「the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning.」

CALL is characterized by a combination of graphic, textual, audio and video functions, is superior to any ether medium in its devastatingly huge mass of information, high speed of information exchanging and partaking of information resources especially after the computer connecting with the Internet. While foreign language teaching requires a great deal of language environments and multimedia naturally becomes the best choice of information programming.

The whole dissertation is divided into Four chapters.

Chapter one is a routine introduction. The chapter introduction what is CALL and its Advantages

Chapter .Two Traditional English Language Teaching Skill

Chapter Three The Application of Multi-media Technology in English Language Teaching

Chapter One Introduction

1.1 An introduction to CALL

With the coming of information age, computer has been widely-used in many fields.Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) was a topic of. Xeievance mostly to those with a special interest in that area. Now, computers have become so wide spread in schools and homes and their uses have expanded so dramatically that the majority of language teachers must now begin to think about the implications of computers for language learning.

Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is defined by Mike Levy as"the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning". Levy has three reasons for the preference for the term of CALL. First, CALL was chosen by Wyatt in 1984 to emphasize the whole range of possible roles the computer could play in language learning, which is regarded as an established term. Secondly, the computer as an assistant or aid reminds a very useful perspective: in particular the computer can assist in teaching and in providing resources that would not otherwise be available. Thirdly, the motto of Sun Microsystems "The network is the computer" makes the acronym CALL incorporate one of the most important development in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the Internet. In the present study, the term of CALL is also preferred, which exactly covers the domain of multimedia networked computer-assisted language learning.

1.2Advantages of CALL

According to the development and different researchers, CALL have many advantages in helping conduct learning and teaching.

1.2.1 To make learning more student-centered

For a long time, language educators have clung to a transmission model, which sees the function of educational systems as the passing on of a received body of facts, values and procedures (Nunan, 2001). With this model, teachers, the center of the learning process, are regarded as authority, knowledge-givers and error-correctors. Their primary responsibility is to instruct learners, who are restricted to receiving and storing the information taught in class, with little knowledge about syllabus and objectives. And the learners are accustomed to being passively spoon-fed with grammatical rules and vocabulary that they have few chances to put into use. There is little or no room for the learners』 independent thoughts as if learning is a straightforward reflection of teachers』 actions (Littlewood, 2000). Consequently, learners often feel disoriented, lose confidence and fail to pinpoint their goals in learning if their teachers』help is not available. It is necessary that reforms should be taken.

In recent years increasing numbers of teachers, in all subjects, have been looking for ways to change the traditional forms of instruction in which knowledge is transmitted, in a one-way process, from a dominant teacher to a class of silent, obedient, 「passive」learners. They have sought ways to make the classroom more 「student-centred」and have investigated the different ways in which students can play more active roles in discovering and processing knowledge.

This desire to make learning more student-centred is reflected in widespread attempts, in different areas of the curriculum, to introduce approaches, which engage students actively in the learning process. These approaches have been described under a variety of labels: 「experiential learning」, 「discovery learning」, 「problem-based learning」, 「co-operative learning」, the 「activity-based approach」, and others. Underlying all of these approaches is a desire to involve students in some kind of purposeful interaction with information, objects and/or ideas, often in groups, in order to develop their skills and knowledge. In the field of language teaching, the approach which is currently best known in this respect is 「task-based learning」

The role of interaction in foreign language curriculum has grown since its beginnings. Interactivity in learning is "a necessary and fundamental mechanism for knowledge acquisition and the development of both cognitive and physical skills" (Barker, 1994:1). Today, computer technology helps the communicative approach of learning that is concerned with the interaction between the teacher and learner, and in which the teaching strategy is dependent upon students『 learning needs and learning styles.

Recent researches in cognitive psychology have shed light on the human learning process. Both cognitive constructivism and social constructivism emphasize the learners』central place in classroom. They proclaim that learners have their own distinctive personalities, motivation, learning styles and strategies that could affect the learning results. Each person is ultimately responsible for his/her own learning and engages his/her own personality in the learning process. Learning takes place only when learners actively construct their own understanding and knowledge through their interaction with the world around them. Influenced by these constructivist concepts, the focus of language learning has begun to shift from how to teach to how to learn, since learners are the internal and dominant factor in the process (Piaget, 1977; Vygotsky, 1978)

In a CALL classroom, an ideal learner should be highly motivated to sustain effort and actively engaged to carry out language learning since creative construction of a language is a long and effortful process; he should deliberately apply learning strategies to control the content, the rate and the conditions of learning; he must be in a favorable psychological state and willing to experiment and take risks, learning by making errors and receiving feedback on performance to improve knowledge, skills, and subsequent performance; and he must be aware of that language learning is a process of interacting not only with input but also with people through various senses and modalities: face-to-face or eye-to-eye (as in ordinary conversation), ear-to-ear (as over the telephone) and mind-to-mind (as in reading and writing), hence a process of learning to communicate with others.( Pennington 1996).Pennington(1996)points out that the ideal teacher should be one to help learners develop and elaborate their increasingly specified cognitive representation for the second language,to allow learners to experiment and take risks in a psychologically favorable and motivating environment, to offer input to both conscious and unconscious learning processes, to offer learners opportunities to practice and to receive feedback on performance, to allow learners to to learn according to their own purposes and goals, to put learners in touch with other learners, to promote cultural and social learning, to promote interactivity in learning and communication, to expose the learner to appropriate contexts for learning, to expand the learner』s 「zone of proximal development, to build to learner independence.

1.2.2 To cultivate the students』competence

Recent developments in foreign language education have indicated a trend towards the development of communicative competence among foreign language students. Researchers expect students to learn to function properly in the target culture. They expect that students will learn to interpret and produce meaning with members of the target culture. In essence, they call for the contextualization of language. However, providing experiences for contact with language in context may prove difficult for foreign language teachers. Constrained by lack of sufficient access to the target culture, teachers often rely on textbooks and classroom materials in teaching language. These materials, most of them linear in nature and lacking in interactivity may not necessarily provide the required environment for the acquisition of communicative competence. Furthermore, they may not necessarily provide all aspects of discourse activity, i.e. paralinguistic and extra linguistic behavior that accompany speech. Hypermedia/multimedia environments may provide a more appropriate context for students to experience the target culture..

1.2.3 To uplift learners』motivation, and arouse the learners』interest

1) To uplift learners』motivation

Learning is most likely to occur when learners want to learn. Motivation is 「the dynamically changing cumulative arousal in a person that initiates, directs, coordinates, amplifies, terminates, and evaluates the cognitive and motor processes whereby initial wishes and desires are selected, prioritized, operationalised and (successfully or unsuccessfully) acted out」(D?rnyei &Otto, 1985:65). Motivation is responsible for why people decide to do something, how long they are willing to sustain the activity, and how hard they are going to pursue it. So motivation has been widely accepted by both teachers and researchers as one of the key factors that influence the rate and success of language learning. It is crucial to create a relaxed and non-threatening learning environment in which learners』motivation and self-confidence can be promoted and learners』anxiety can be reduced.Extensive researches have shown that CALL environment is potentially stimulating. In 1996, Warschauer conducted a large-scale survey on learners』 motivation in computer-assisted activities. He found four common motivating factors, i.e., communication, empowerment, learning effects and achievements (1996b)

2) To arouse the learners』interest

Multimedia is any combination of text, graphic art, sound, animation and video that is delivered by computer. When you allow the user--the viewer of the project--to control that and when these elements are delivered, it is interactive multimedia.

Many teachers, domestic and foreign have observed that students generally have a positive attitude toward technology in the classroom. Studies have consistently shown that students have positive attitudes about computer technology being used in the classroom and that such technology does have a positive impact (Warden, 1995; Chen, 1988; Nash et al., 1989;Brady, 1990; Herrmann, 1987; Johnson, 1988; Phinney & Mathis, 1988)

Media-computer is good for motivating students to study English. Students are anxious to use computers. Many students are tired of traditional English classes and are interested in a new style of learning. When they use a computer, they feel that they can master English. They can study English with their own learning styles, and they can see the results of their learning. Students think materials are new and fresh if they are presented on computers, and they are often interested in even routine tasks such as learning to type. They seem to be willing to spend more hours and do more exercises on a computer than by hand (Kitao, 1993c)

Students can get different types of input using a computer. Using multi-media materials, computers can display written text and use sounds, still pictures, and video. Students feel things are more real and more easily understood. Through simulation and other techniques, computers can present abstract things in a concrete and easily understood way. They also have access to various types of aids, including dictionaries, pictures, graphs of intonation, and voice recordings.Pre-multimedia CALL may have been accurately criticized for occupying the student on merely a one-dimensional linear level, the multimedia capacity provided by CD-ROM technology engages nearly all of the student『s senses by combining printed text, graphic imagery, motion video, photographic stills, and audio recordings to create a "virtual" reality of authentic communication and provide learners greater comprehensible input (Otto and Pusack, 1993). Noblitt (1990) suggested that comprehension will improve in an interactive and meaningful learning environment, since learners participate in a "discovery" rather than a "reception" mode. Rather than proceeding through the program in a linear fashion, learners can branch to different areas of interest at their own pace.

Chapter Two Traditional English Language Teaching Skill

2.1 Language Skills

Language is the tool of communication. To learn language is to use it flexibly in the real-life communications. The ultimate purpose of learning foreign language is to communicate with foreign language. Foreign language communicative competence includes receiving information by listening and reading and sending information by speaking and writing. Therefore, training foreign language communicative competence means training learners『 listening, speaking, reading and writing in foreign language comprehensively(Shu Dingfang, Zhuang Zhixiang, 1996). So it is in the real exercise that language learning presents its values. It is not difficult to find out that the biggest obstacle faced by Chinese students to learn English in the Chinese environment is being short of language environment and language practice.

The main function of language is its communicative function. Language communication is a kind of language action that both conversing sides connect with each other. Two needs should be satisfied in English language study: one is functional need, that is, to learn to express oneself without being misunderstood and to deal with all the tasks successfully with English language; the other one is social communicative need, that is, to make oneself live in target-language society properly. Just as Hatch said, 「While social interaction may give the learner the 「best」 data to work with, the brain in turn must work out a fitting and relevant model of that input」(Ellis 1985:162). So, to learn English language is to learn to 「speak」 the language. Learners must keep imitating and practicing listening and speaking in order to command the language effectively to achieve communication.

2.2 Traditional methods of English Language Teaching

The traditional mode of English language teaching refers to face-to-face class teaching. Passing through the enrichment and development of various teaching methods such as Translation Method, Direct Method, Aural-oral Method, Cognitive Approach and Functional Approach, the traditional methodology has becoming better and approaching perfection day gradually. Its advantages show clearly as being flexible without the limitation of media or courseware. Teachers and students carry emotional communications with language even more appealingly, which fully embodies the sincerity and flexibility in language communications and the teachings are directed against students』 individual differences. However, traditional class teaching has its own limitation in language teaching in that the amount of information delivery is restricted and without initiative when knowledge is delivered, therefore, it cannot set tridimensional teaching scenes. Nevertheless, conventional teaching aids like the real objects, models and wall maps used in the class teaching activities are both economical and convenient. Their accessibility to be seen as well as be touched makes it easier for teachers and students to contact more directly. Such affective teaching cannot be replaced by any modern educating technique. On the other hand, multi-media teaching has the qualities of making complicate problems simplified and making nonobjective problems intuitionistic. Its combining sounds, images, pictures and words into one attracts students』 great interest in study. Multi-media teaching organizes and displays teaching contents and constructs knowledge structure in the way of fully considering cognitive characteristics. Such nonlinear organization of teaching contents can arouse students』 positive thinking and divergent thinking to the fullest extent. Combined with diversification and complication of teaching contents and organization modality, it has also provided dynamic and open structurized cognition. With the increase of learning interest and concentration, students may look through learning points to review at any time. Besides, the standard, normative typeface and vivid visual images, and great amount of information transference all favorable for creating good English learning settings. However, its weakness is also clear in that its lack of sufficient two-way communication, being unable to supervise and urge those students with low level of consciousness, the insufficient chances and too short time for students to speak. So, if the two teaching means can be integrated organically into the teaching activities, we will definitely get the perfect effects.

Teaching process is composed by a series of factors or steps such as the purpose, contents, process, method and evaluation in which each may relate directly to the effect of teaching. So each factor should be emphasized and optimized on the basis of innovation. Multi-media technology has provided various learning resources like text materials, multi-media teaching software, network teaching information and so on to realize learners』 independent study. Teachers have also turned from disseminators into directors in the process of learning language. They should commit themselves to guide students to get proper information and materials. All the information resources should be carefully selected, utilized and evaluated firstly by teachers so that they can be digested and absorbed alternatively by students.

Chapter Three The Application of Multi-media Technology in English Language Teaching

3.1The theoretic basis: constructivism

Piaget『s constructivism excludes the reduction of intelligence to any one structure, just because there is no final structure, no structure d『ensemble - nor could there be one structure of everything. [Piaget, 1975/1985. Equilibration of cognitive structures. Univ. of Chicago Press, p. 142.]. In the Constructivist theory the emphasis is placed on the learner or the student rather than the teacher or the instructor. It is the learner who interacts with objects and events and thereby gains an understanding of the features held by such objects or events. The learner, therefore, constructs his/her own conceptualizations and solutions to problems. Learner』s autonomy and initiative is accepted and encouraged. Constructivists view learning as the result of mental construction. Students learn by fitting newinformation together with what they already know. People learn best when they actively construct their own understanding. In constructivist thinking learning is also affected by the context and the beliefs and attitudes of the learner. Learners are encouraged to invent their own solutions and to try out ideas and hypotheses. They are given the opportunity to build on prior knowledge. There are many different schools of thought within this theory, all of which fall within the same basic assumption about learning.

In general, constructivists believe that knowledge is individually and socially constructed by learners based on their interpretations of experiences in the world; Reality is constructed rather than discovered; Holistic way of thinking about the nature of learning; Holds that knowledge cannot exist in some complete form outside the learner and be internalized, stored, and reproduced at some later time; Knowledge as an interconnection among ideas; Perceive a community of learners connecting the personal experiences of each learner to the group and to the culture; The learning process must be concerned with the experiences and contexts that make the student willing and able to learn (readiness); The learning process should be designed to facilitate extrapolation and / or fill in the gaps (going beyond the information given); Learning in constructivism may be characterized as grasping meaning by the learner』s own construction, rather than being given to him / her in his / her experiences, according to how his / her understanding is currently organized. Constructivism is an educational philosophy within a larger category of philosophies characterized as 「rationalism」. A rationalist philosophy holds that reason is the primary source of knowledge and that reality is constructed, not discovered. Some rationalists would argue that a single reality does not exist; rather multiple realities exist and are constructed by each individual. From the many philosophical and psychological theories of the past, the basis of constructivism is found in the field of cognitive learning theory (cognitivism), where a few researchers (Piaget, Vygotsky) extrapolated their findings in cognitive development to include influences of the learner』s environment, including the role of the instructor and other social, cultural, or historical factors. Piaget』s research documented the various levels of thinking constructed by learners from infancy to adulthood and is fundamental to constructivism. It implies the process of building, creating, or making mental structures instead of merely absorbing or reproducing products.

3.2 The application of multi-media English language teaching guided by constructivism

As is well known that in the past two decades, the behaviorist learning theory which stresses on stimulation—reaction and sees learners as objects of knowledge impartment who take passive reaction from outer stimulation has given place to the cognitive learning theory which stresses on cognitive objects』 inner psychological process and sees learners as principal parts for information machining. With the deeper research of human cognitive law in learning process, constructivism---one important branch of cognitive learning theory--- has been popularized in western countries in recent years. Since the various characteristics of multi-media and communicative technology based on internet are very suitable for realizing constructivism learning environment, in other words, multi-media and internet communicative technology can be taken as ideal cognitive tools in the learning environment of constructivism and promote students』 cognitive development effectively. Therefore, with the rapid development of multi-media and network education, the learning theory of constructivism is showing its stronger and stronger life force and enlarging its influence all over the world.

3.3Harmony between English teaching and multi-media technology

According to systematic theory, teaching process itself is a system, in which all the factors such as students, teachers, course materials, teaching methods and teaching environment construct a whole organically. The harmony in teaching process refers to a harmonious and balanced state among all the teaching factors, with which teaching quality will get progressed and students may get developed in all sides. As a teaching instrument, multi-media going into teaching process should not destroy the harmonious relation in them, or else prospective effects will not be attained. Practice has been evidenced that applying computer and multi-media to assisting English teaching properly will surely bring qualitative leap for English class teaching. Nevertheless, teacher』s role in English class can never be replaced. Those ideas of seeking for demonstrating multi-media courseware blindly, changing from teacher』s teach into multi-media display in class, and transforming face-to-face questions and answers among students and teachers into information exchange through network together with turning oral communication between teacher and students into man-machine conversation, or even, making it an essential condition to appraise first-class lessons through whether multi-media has been used in it, etc. are all unadvisable. We should make it clear that English is a language subject with strong practical characteristics. Only through large amount of English language communication between teacher and students in class can students get well trained and improved of ability to communicate with English language. Computer media is merely a tool to assist teachers to perfect the teaching process and to practice teaching outcome rather than teaching for the sake of using tools. Whether multi-media is used is depended upon the needs of English class teaching.

3.3.1 harmony in teachers and students

Teachers and students are the two principal factors in teaching process. It is teachers』 teaching and students』 studying that form the process of teaching. In modern teaching theory, the relation between teachers and students are stressed, especially the development of initiative for students, which is believed to be helpful for improving class teaching efficiency. English as a subject stressed on practice puts co-participation between teachers and students on the first place. In English teaching, teachers use various means to initiate English language knowledge, design different activities to train students』 skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, create all kinds of settings for students to communicate in reality so as to fulfill the purpose of English practice. The communication between teachers and students can be spoken rather than written, expression and gestures as well. Oral language can be used to deliver different information through tones, volumes, and pauses and so on, with which we can get unexpected effects especially when they are used together in certain ways. For instance, when a student responds to the teacher in English, the teacher』s smile, careful listening, encouragement or instruction with eyes and gestures will all increase the student』s confidence in expression so that he will be more active to study English, which can not be substituted by machines. Therefore, when using multi-media to have lessons, we should pay more attention to the harmony between teachers and students, trying not to turn the class into an exchange between students and computers. On the other hand, using multi-media techniques in some teaching steps may get twice the result with half the effort. For example, when we have vocabulary and grammar exercises, multi-media will show its rapid speed and large capacity which blackboard writing and slides are incomparable so that time will be saved from mechanical transcription, and contents be increased. However, we should always remember that teachers are the organizers in class teaching and multi-media technique is merely a means served to class. If teachers are just busy operating computers while let multi-media go its own way, students will surely be attracted too much by the shapes of courseware so that communications will be decreased along with the purpose of teaching be ignored. Therefore, teachers should consider the necessities and agreements when using multi-media. Still take oral English teaching as an example, which is mainly to exercise students』 skills of oral expression, since it is essential for practical activities among students, the using of multi-media seems not so necessary, at most, just offer some suppositional scenes for students to choose. In this way, it is by using multi-media properly that class teaching will be optimized.

3.3.2 harmony in teaching materials and methods

In the progress of teaching preparations, teachers should firstly try to understand and analyze the teaching outline and materials to ascertain teaching aims and teaching difficulties as well as teaching emphasis and then choose the most appropriate teaching method. The teaching aims include knowledge aims, competence aims and sensibility aims. Take English in detail, knowledge aims refer to the relevant language knowledge like phonetics, vocabulary and grammar; competence aims indicate listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and the skill to use English intensively; sensibility aims mean to train students』 personality and moral characters. With its significant functions, multi-media have provided perfect means to help realize English teaching aims. In language knowledge teaching, students may get relative contents through various forms with the help of diversified demonstrating functions of multi-media. Take another example：When it comes to learning language background knowledge, the background can be displayed through multi-media in order for students to get the direct cultural information. It will be more effective than explaining by teachers even several times. Nevertheless, in oral English and writing practice, the use of multi-media will be rather limited. To watch the problem in the other aspect, multi-media is only one type of teaching medias, which cannot totally replace all the medias. Many media frequently used in the traditional teaching like real objects, wall maps, sketch drawings, tape recorders and videos are mostly convenient and practical when used. They are also much simpler and easier concerning only one aspect of teaching compared with making multi-media courseware. Furthermore, since most of the courseware is made very vividly and intuitionally, the dazzling scenes made with great efforts often distract students from focusing on what they should learn. The teaching practice has indicated that using the organic synthesis of various media are more effective that using a single medium.

Nevertheless, since the application of multi-media in English teaching is still in the stage of groping periodand there are no sufficient experiences to follow, many problems appear in the process of application in spite of lots of merits over traditional teaching instruments. In practical English language teaching, many teachers lack of proper research on the roles and functions of multi-media applied in English language teaching and on how to take advantage of multi-media techniques to integrate man and machine so as to improve the efficiency of teaching process, so there are enormous inharmonious phenomena emerging such as maladjustment to relations between man and machine, or confliction between the two. Concretely speaking, some teachers still regard class-teaching process as process of knowledge point instillation; some others make courseware facture as a changing from text format of lesson preparation into electronic one; or putting teaching process into a display of courseware or multi-media CD-Rom with mouse. As a result, teachers』 leading roles and students』 principal roles in teaching process are both submerged or weakened so that teaching efficiency will be reduced all the way.

3.3.3 harmony in theory and practice

Practice cannot live without the guidance of theory. Multi-media technology applied to the teaching should also be based on the theories. The teaching theory of putting students as principal part in teaching in recent years advocates keeping students as the center to build up architectonics initiatively under the instruction of teachers. It emphasize on the cognitive principal roles of learners, suggesting that teachers are just the helpers and promoters instead of initiators and indoctrinators, while students are the principal body of accepting knowledge initiatively instead of the object being indoctrinated passively. Based on the theory, teachers should try to avoid putting their intentions in the leading place when making Multi-media designs. They should fully consider the students』 characteristics of positivity in order to avoid even stronger and further 「spoon-feed」 teaching. Besides, with the popularization of computers and the renewal of techniques, more and more teachers will be able to teach with Multi-media easily. However, Multi-media-assisted teaching is still restricted by many factors. First, computer popularization is not high enough to meet the need. Seeing from the current conditions, we will found that although most schools have Multi-media classrooms, it does not mean that all the classrooms have equipped with computers so as to use Multi-media to teach. Secondarily, courseware making is a rather laborious and expensive job. It is hard to get the degree of perfect and frequency. On the other hand, most English teachers are not professional enough to master the techniques proficiently. Furthermore, the already-made multi-media courseware cannot get fully values in use under the present conditions that interlink with student computers and teacher computers. That is to say, conventional teaching still dominates in many places.

In all, Multi-media technology has not only improved the renewal of teaching method, but more importantly, it has influenced greatly on the teaching concept. Teachers are required to keep studying thoroughly and master the techniques of making courseware in order to accomplish teaching tasks. They should also keep studying teaching theories and exploring teaching rules in order to find out the best crunodes of Multi-media technology and English teaching. Only in this way can teaching process be optimized and students』 general and harmonious progress be improved ultimately in English teaching process.

Chapter Four Conclusion

4.1. Conclusions

Through the study conducted in the real teaching as well as the analysis of the development and features of CALL, the write holds an idea that multi-media computer technology can be helpful and necessary to be used to aid middle school foreign language teaching .It is feasible and unavoidable to teach and learn foreign languages in a CALL environment.The application of computer multi-media to practical teaching has created an emulational communicative circumstance, making students feel as if placing themselves in the real English atmosphere so that their interest in learning English and their desire to communicate in English have been aroused. With the interest and desire, it will be consequentially developed into the action, in which the language knowledge learnt would be transformed into language skills.

4.2 Limitation

While CALL has its own unique advantages, it has unavoidablelimitation .

1)CALL requires computers and software as well as other equipment, all of which are expensive. At present most ordinary school can』t afford them. And special classrooms, which are necessary, along with technicians to keep the computers, working properly. Since students often have trouble, assistants are also necessary to help students with the problems they may have. If many classes are using the computer room, scheduling is likely to be difficult(Kitao, 1994a).

2) Learners need to learn a great deal to use computers. Just learning to use the computers and software often requires time and energy before students can use them to study a subject. Some times it is necessary to use keyboard to input some information and orders and so on, so students need to learn to type fairly well before they can use computers effectively. But Some students can never really adjust to using computers. They are never comfortable w ith them, and these students often make mistakes.

3)To use computers most effectively, More qualified members may be needed .Teachers need to understand the theory as well as how to use computers.I t is necessary to develop new methods and materials that are specifically for computers, rather than just transferring materials from a book to a computer. Teachers should be able to do with different and newly developed facilities and softwares

4.3Further research possibility

CALL draws on the empirical and theoretical work in many fields and returns tangible research results, new perspectives, and a deeper understanding of the nature of language learning and human/technology interaction. CALL also produces tools, learning materials, and pedagogical approaches of immediate concrete value in enhancing language-learning programs. Increasing the use of computer-assisted learning systems is a prime goal. Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is a relatively new and rapidly evolving academic field that explores the role of information and communication technologies in language learning and teaching. It provides fertile ground for leading edge, innovative, and highly creative thinking and scholarly work. And there still remains much to be looked into in order to exploit improved technology to produce highly interactive learning environments, providing effective support for the acquisition of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, and make CALL more practical especially in the Chinese context.

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